


it's been a long, long time

by chalkunderstars



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Kravitz centric, kravitz is keetz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 04:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chalkunderstars/pseuds/chalkunderstars
Summary: It's supposed to be a simple job. Not even a job technically, just doing some work for Taako's boss that could also fall into his jurisdiction. Overtime, really. He should have known better.





	it's been a long, long time

**Author's Note:**

> this is technically in the same universe as Fate's Favorite Mistake, but you don't need to read that to understand this. all you need to know is thb didn't go after the animus bell bc the hunger was defeated earlier than in canon.

Kravitz knows he shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not technically a mission, but it’s also now technically something that’s allowed either. But Taako said his sister and brother-in-law needed some help rounding up one of the relics from a couple liches, and also could he maybe not tell the Raven Queen that they were also liches? Thanks babe.

It had been a long and arduous conversation, and to be honest he still isn’t quite sure he understands everything, but the point is that now he’s opening a portal into Wonderland with two red robe clad skeletons who won’t let go of each others’ hands. And okay, maybe this not-mission had already taken three hours because that’s how long Taako has stayed firmly between two spectors that he refused to let out of his sight for more than five minutes despite being the one sending them. It had taken a lot of gentle ribbing and less gentle reminding before they had all been allowed to leave. Not that Kravitz couldn’t have taken care of this job on his own, but backup was always nice, especially when heading into unknowns.

Wonderland was never on his radar, and with how well it’s hidden he isn’t really sure it was on the Queen’s either. It had been active for a little under two centuries at this point, as far as he can tell, and the fact that no reaper has caught those responsible yet is a testament to the skill of those involved. Things being as they are he’s thankful he doesn’t have to go it alone.

The three of them enter a dark room, hollow and empty, which is confusing more than anything else. He knows he can sense people here, souls of the dead and living alike, so why can’t he see-?

Lights start flashing around them, gaudy and technicolor, and music plays with a heavy bass behind it. Much as he would hate to admit it to another soul, he likes it. Loves it even. It’s a struggle to keep his expression neutral and it’s tempting to go skeletal. He doesn’t.

“We should have brought Taako,” Lup says behind him. “He would dig the hell outta this shit, right Care Bear?” There’s a nervous chuckle from Barry and and the lights go out again, just for a split second.

When they come back up it becomes apparent that, yes, this is just what’s happening now, light pulsing with the beat as a walkway ascends from the floor. There are two figures on it, well dressed in the flashiest outfits he has ever seen. They’re posing dramatically, in different positions each time the light comes back up, and the catwalk is rising to a circular platform that they’re making their ways towards.

As they get to the end the song comes to a close, or at least begins quieting, and if Kravitz still had a heart it would be stopped dead in his chest.

“You made it! Welcome to Wonderland,” says Edward, oozing charm and malice.

“Hopefully you didn’t have too much trouble navigating the wilds.” Lydia says wryly, her gaze sweeping over them before the smile drops from her face.

Completely unaware of the tension Barry says something, but Kravitz can’t make it out. His head is swimming and even though he physically can’t he’s still dully surprised he doesn’t faint.

Edward drops down from the platform, his hands shaking and still looking as young as the day he buried his baby brother. “Keetz?”

All at once nearly two centuries of emotion come surging forth, anger and disappointment and fear, strong enough to burn the flesh from his bones.

Of course he had known, it’s part of the reason he became a reaper at all. The Raven Queen had said he could help get his siblings a lighter sentence with the work, or at the very least have free reign to visit them. It had been hard to adjust to, but he’d done it. After all, they’d gotten themselves wrapped up in necromancy for him, it was the least he could do.

But then their souls didn’t show up when they should have. Which was, well, not fine, but certainly expected. They were liches, that was all. And then a decade passed. And another. And another. He wasn’t allowed to get official updates, but it was obvious their case was hard.

Here they are though, right in front of him, running some kind of undead scam. There is dark arcane energy dripping from every inch of this place, and misery hangs in the air like the scent of lilies.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” He shouts, incapable of using his work voice because he’s just so goddamn pissed. “What is this? No, really, what the hell is all of this? I have been working  _ since I died _ to help you, and you’ve been- been doing some kind of- what is this? An evil fashion show? What the fuck?”

“Hey uh, bone dog? Wanna maybe chill?”

“Not now, Taako!”

Everyone is staring at him but he doesn’t care. His eyes are locked on his brother and sister, both of them gaping. Edward looks close to crying and Lydia is buzzing and jerking, struggling to keep her form and sanity in tact. Gods he wishes he could care but he just doesn’t _.  _ He’s too angry.

It’s not that he regrets what he’s been doing. He loves his work, loves than he got to meet Taako through it even if it meant getting mixed up in all sorts of strange things. But first and foremost it had been for his siblings who had tried so hard to save him, and he may not really know what’s going on here but it obviously isn’t good. Somewhere that simultaneously is and is not the room he’s in he feels someone’s soul get close to death and he knows, he  _ knows _ it isn’t supposed to be their time. The soul is young but the body isn’t and he seethes. And no, he wouldn’t be this angry if this was just some random necromancer, but this is his brother and sister actively spitting on the rules of life and death he has worked so hard to uphold for their benefit.

His brother and sister who don’t even try to offer up an explanation while two strangers stand to the side.

Maybe that’s worse, that none of them are saying anything. That there isn’t any explanation in the world that could make this better. He is in front of his siblings who are liches who are using their magic against people and they are in front of their dead baby brother who is an emissary of the Raven Queen.

Right. He’s a reaper. He’s here to do a job.

His scythe materializes in his hand and in one swift, clean motion he captures the two souls in front of him. The building they were in abruptly disappears and so does he.

There are two people to deliver to the eternal stockade.


End file.
